1914 Homme Е la pipe attablВ * Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1908-1918

Here we see a figure rendered in a fragmented and analytical style. The subject appears to be seated at a table, though the precise nature of their activity is obscured by the deconstruction of form. The artist has broken down the human body into geometric shapes – predominantly triangles, rectangles, and cylinders – which are then reassembled on the page in a manner that challenges conventional perspective and spatial representation.
The figures posture suggests introspection or perhaps weariness; the slumped shoulders and downward gaze contribute to an overall sense of melancholy. The table itself is similarly fractured, its surface appearing as a series of intersecting planes rather than a continuous plane. This fragmentation extends to the surrounding space, which lacks depth and solidity, further emphasizing the drawing’s focus on form over realistic depiction.
The limited tonal range – primarily consisting of varying degrees of grey achieved through hatching and cross-hatching – contributes to the works subdued mood. The lines are not clean or precise; they waver slightly, suggesting a process of observation and reconstruction rather than a confident assertion of form. This technique lends an immediacy and rawness to the drawing, as if it were captured in a fleeting moment of analysis.
Subtly embedded within this formal breakdown is a sense of isolation. The figure seems detached from their environment, lost within their own thoughts or perhaps overwhelmed by the complexity of the world around them. This feeling is amplified by the lack of any clear narrative context; we are presented with a fragment of a moment, devoid of explanation or resolution. The drawing’s power lies in its ability to evoke this sense of quiet contemplation and existential questioning through its radical reinterpretation of form and space.